Sylvania



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

J. Y. sonELLY, oE HEREFORD, AND J. sTAUEEEE, oEHosENsAoE, PENN- SYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO WILLIAM WATSON,

OF ST. PAUL, MINN.

IMPROVEMENT IN .HARYESTlNG-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 15,669,

To all whom 'it may concern.-

Be itknown thatv we, JOEL Y. SGHELLY, ot' Hereford,.in the county of Berks and State of Pennsylvania, and JOSEPH STAUFFER, formerly of Upper Milford, but now residing at Hosensack, in the county of Lehigh and State aforesaid, have invented certain new and usei'ul lmprovementsin the Machines for Cutting or Reaping Grain, 85e.; and We do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and in which- Figure l represents a view in perspective of a harvestin g-machine ein bracin goui'i n vention, a portion ot' the casing of the driving-wheel being removed to show the mechanism for operatingthe cutters. Fig. 2 represents an elevation ot' that side ofthe machine most remote from the standing grain. Fig. 3 represents a top view of' the machine. Fig. et represents a sectional view of' the caster-wheel tion of the frame and tongue which it supports. Fig. 5 represents a perspective view ot' the frame which carries themoaster, detached from the caster and the machine. Fig. G represents a vertical section through a plane parallel to the left side of the driving-wheel, the annular riml or flange of the wheel being removed to exhibit more clearly the mechanism for giving motion to the cutters.V Fig. 7 represents a horizontal section of the parts shown in Figr, and Fig.8 represents a side view and a section of the bracket, and the trnnnions on which the lever turns which vibrates the cutters.

The reaping and mowing machines in common use may he divided into two classes, one ot' which, like a cart, has an inexible tongue or shafts, and is supported on two wheels; and the other, like a wagon, has a flexible tongue or shafts, and is supported on four wheels. Those machines which are supported on two -wheels possess the advantage of compactness and cheapness; also, of being turned quickly and guided easily to avoid stumps and other obstacles on rough ground; but they have the disadvantage of loading the horses with the preponderating weight of that part of the machine which, being in front of the axle of the supporting-wheels, is upheld by the tongue or shafts which the horses support, and by which they draw. It has been attempted to remedy dated September 2, 1856.

| these defects by placing the axle of the two cart-wheels (one or both being used to drive the gearing) ator near the rear of the frame, and supporting the front part ofthe frame by means ot' a caster-wheel, which, under this arrangement, was too heavily loa-ded to work well, and left on the driving-wheel too little weight to produce the requisite adhesion to the ground. The machines, which are supported on four wheels, more costly and cumbrous, do not turn as quickly, and are not so easily guided to avoid obstacles in rough ground; but the'fore wheels support the weight ofthe fore part of the machine and relieve the horses from the labor of carrying it.

The object ot' our invention is to'combine in one machine the advantages of these classes of machines, and at the same time avoid their defects.

In the accompanying drawings a. reapingmachine is represented with our improvement applied thereto. This improvement., however, is equally applicable to other reaping and mowing machines ot' this class.

In the drawings, Ais the platform; B, the cutter, which plays through a row of fingers, b, on the front edge ofthe platform. O is the divider. D is a case, which forms a seat, d, for the driver of the-horses, and covers the driving-wheel and the mechanism for operating the sickle. e E isthe driving-wheel, and F the wheel which supports that end ofthe platform which runs next the standing grain. G, Figs. 6 and 7, is ascalloped annular cam on the side, and within the rim ofthe driving-wheel. H is a vibrating lever, supported on trnnnions in the plane of the axis ot' the driving-wheel and made with an opening, It, in its central part, through which the axle of the driving- Wheel passes; The trunnions h, on which the lever H is held and vibrates, are formed ou brackets h2, attached tothe frame of the machine, and their axes are in a plane at right angles to that in which the lever H vibrates. On or near each end ot' the lever, and opposite the front and rear sides of the cam, an anti-friction wheel, h3, is mounted upon a suitable bearing. The ofce ot' these wheels is to run upon the scalloped surfaoe"of the cam, and thus avoid the friction that would be produced if projections of the lever, not provided with wheels,

in the manner ol7 a wagon, are

were to rub over the cam. The depressions on one side of the cam being diametrically opposite the elevations on the opposite side, it follows that when the antifriction wheels h3 on thelever are set as near to the cam as possible that on one end of the lever will bein a hollow of one of the scallops of the cam, and that on the opposite end will be on a protuberance ofthe cam; but by the motion of the latter thcv relative position of these wheels with respect to the hollows and protuberances of the cam will every moment be changing, which will communicate to the lever a vibrating motion. A bracket, I, is attached to the forward end of the lever H, and connected, through the linkrod t, with the sickle B, to which, ot' course, a vibratory motion is imparted corresponding to that which the lever H receives from the cam G on the driving-wheel. In this way the sickle is driven Without gearing and with verylittle friction.

As the anti-friction wheels h3 on the lever run with considerable velocity and sustain a very considerable but variable pressure, it is necessary that their axles should be kept well lubricated in order to prevent rapid wear. This object is accomplished by placing an oilcup, a, upon the lever over the upper trunnion, and extending tubes a. therefrom to the journals of the wheels, through which tubes the oil passes from the cup and drops upon the journal. The parallel beams J on either side of the driving-Wheel extend forward a convenient distance, and to their front extremities the tongue K, by which the horses draw and guide the machine, is hinged. On the under side ot' these projecting beams the caster-wheel L is placed, as nearly in a line with the front edge of the cutter as possible. This wheel is supported on a horizontal axle, Z, in one end of a frame, M, which frame, at the opposite end, is connected to and turns on a vertical spindle, l', secured to a cross-bar, that connects the front ends of the beam J. The frame M is shown in perspective in Fig. 5, and to give greater steadiness to the wheel the topplate, l2, of the frame extends a considerable distance both ways from the bearing. m of the 'spindle l', at right angles thereto, and the ex tremities of this plate rest against a circular planeway, n, affixed to the under side of the beams J. This gives a rm support to the Wheel L, in whatever position it may sta-nd, and insures its turning easily to follow the path of the horses.

As one mode of raising and' lowering the cutter, provision is made for raising'and lowering the axle of the wheel L by placing it higher or lower in the series of holes s invthe frame M. This, however, is but one of the many modes that might be adopted of raising and lowering the cutters.

It is obvious that the Wheels at the right and left sides of the platform support the principal part of the weight of the machine, as they are arranged at the middle of the frame, and that the caster-wheel, which we have combined therewith, only supports that comparatively small portion of the weight of the machine by which the part in front of the axis of the two main supporting-wheels preponderates over that which is in rear thereof, together with the weight of the rear end of the tongue anda portion of the weight of the whiftletrees, Sto., by which the horses draw.

It is also obvious that if the tongue or shafts were rigidly attached to and projected from the front of the machine, asis usual in the cart form of machines, of which that of Cyrus H. McCormick is an example, instead of having the tongue hinged, as under our improved arrangement, the caster-wheel would be comparatively useless, it' not injurious and impracticable, because of the wide range of up-anddown motion that the front end of the tongue would necessarily have while the machine is passing overuneven ground.

Underourimprovedarrangementthe tongue, heilig hinged to the machine, its front end remains at a constant height, and its duty is confined to drawing and guiding the machine, while the caster-wheel, by carrying the slightlypreponderating weight of the front of the machine, relieves the tongue and horses of this duty.

We do not claim broadly the supporting of the frame ot' a harvester on two main wheels, in the manner of a cart, with a caster-wheel in front ot' them, as the frame of the harvestingmachine patented to Edward Badlam, Jr., on the 18th day of September, 1835, is thus supported.

What we claim as our invention, and desire l to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination of the driving-wheel G, supporting-wheel F, caster-wheel L, hinged tongue K, and the main frame, when the said parts are arranged and operate in relation to each other in the manner herein set forth.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names.

JOEL Y. SOHELLY.

vJOSEPH STAUFFER.

In presence of- F. G. FONTAINE, SAMUEL STAUFFER. 

